Side rail for beds.



W. B. MUNN.

SIDE RAIL FOR BEDS.

APPLICATION FILED 0cm. 2, 1008.

921 ,869. Patented May 18, 1909.

anozntoz 1X n doses WILLIAM B. MUNN, OF SELMA', ALABAMA.

sim: RAIL FOR BEDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 2, 1908.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Serial No. 455,830.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILLIAM B. MUNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Selma, in the county of Dallas and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Side Rail for Beds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to guard rails for bedsteads and has for its object to provide an adjustable rail or closure capable of being readily attached to or removed from the side of a bedstead and which, when in position on the bad, serves as a guard or closure to prevent children from rolling out during sleep.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guard rail which may be adjusted to fit beds of diflerent lengths and which may be applied to either wood or iron bedsteads.

A further object is to provide a novel form of clamp for engagement with the corner posts, said clamp being formed in sections adjustable laterally to adapt the same to corner posts of diflerent sizes and shapes.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efliciency.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specifications-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a bed provided with a guard rail or closure constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the clamping jaws detached. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the guard rail showing the form of clamp employed when the guard rail is used in connection with iron bed steads. Fig. 4 is a similar View illustrating a modified form of theinvention. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectional view showing the brackets ,for retaining the guard rail in position on the side rail of the bed.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved guard rail forming the subject matter of the present invention is principally designed for attachment to bedsteads, cribs and the like, and, by way of illustration, is shown applied to a bed of the ordinary construction in which 5 designates one of the side rails and-6 the corner posts.

The device consists of a body portion including upper and lower longitudinal rails 7 and 8 spaced apart by vertically disposed rounds or spindles 9, said body portion being arranged to fit between the corner posts of the bed, as shown.

Secured to the opposite ends of the upper rail 7 are clamping members each consisting of a plate 10 having a vertically disposed rib 11 secured to or formed integral there-. with and which fits in an elongated slot 12 in an adjustable j aw-carrier or plate'13, said jaw-carrier being locked in adjusted position on the plate 10 by means of winged nuts 14. The jaw-carrier is provided with an enlarged head 15 having a vertical flange 16 spaced from the free end thereof and which forms a guide for the adjacent longitudinal edges of the clamping jaws 17. The clamping jaws 17 are slidably mounted on the head 15 and are each provided with angular extensions or arms 18 arranged to embrace the adjacent corner posts of the bedstead. The extensions or arms 18 are provided with vertically disposed flanges 19 which extend above and below the body portion of each clamping jaw and form a broad bearing surface for engagement with the post, thereby to prevent scratching or otherwise mutilating the same when the clamps are adjusted to retain the guard rail in position on the bed. If desired, these bearing faces may be covered with chamois, rubber, leather or other yieldable material to assist in preventing injury to the polished surface of the corner posts.

Attention is here called to the fact that the flange 16 forms a guide for the rear longitudinal edges of the clamping jaws 17, while the shoulders 20 of the flanges 19 bear against and form guides for the front longitudinal edges of said clamping jaws, there by retaining said clamping jaws in alinement and preventing torsional or twisting movement of the same.

Extending vertically from the head 15 is a threaded bolt 21 which passes through registering slots 22 formed in the clamping jaws 17 for engagement with a wing nut or similar clamping device 23, by means of which the bearing faces of said clamping jaws may 7 clamping screw arranged to bear against be locked in engagement with the corner posts of the bedstead. Itwill thus be seen that the clamping members are adjustable both laterally and longitudinally of the guard rail or body portion so as to adapt saidguard rail to beds of different sizes.

Secured to the lower longitudinal rail8 are spaced brackets 2l' provided with depending lips 25 which bear against the interior face of the side rail 5 of the bedstead and'serve to prevent accidental displacement of the lower portion of the guard rail.

In using the device the jaw-carrier 13 is adjustable longitudinally of the plate 10 and clamped in position by the wing nut or nuts 1 t, after which the clamping jaws 17 are moved into engagement with the adjacent edges of the corner post and'clamped .in position by the wing nuts 21, it of course being understood that prior to adjusting the clamping jaws the bracket 2st will be positioned over the side rail 5 of the bedstead, as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

WVhen the guard rail is used on an iron bedstead the inner faces of the flanges 19 may be curved or concaved, as indicated at 26 in Fig. 3 of the drawings thereby to 0011- form to the curvature of the corner posts and prevent wabbling-or twisting movement of the guard rail.

When the device is used on wooden beds having relatively large. corner posts the clamping jaws 17 are detached from the head 15 and the clamping member shown in Fig. 4: of the drawings positioned on the said head.

The clamping member shown in Fig. t is preferably formed in two sections 27 and 28, the section 28 being provided with a slot 29 for the reception of the clamping bolt 21 and the section 27 being provided with a the adjacent corner pos The sections 27 and 28 are adjustable longitudinally to accommodate corner posts of different sizes, this result 7 being accomplished by forming the section 28 with spaced guides 31 adapted to receive a tongue 32 on the section 27, there being a threaded bolt carried by the tongue 32 and extending through an elongated slot 33 in the member 28 for engagement with a wing nut- 34 for locking the clamping sections or jaws in operative position.

' In practice, the clamping jaws 17 will be made of different lengths so that when necessary a short and a long clamping jaw may be used together on the head 15. V

It will of course be understood that the guard rails may bemade in different sizes and shapes and constructed of wood, metal or other suitable material.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. A guard rail for bedsteads comprising tachably. secured to the opposite ends of the body portion and adjustable laterally and longitudinally of said body portion.

'2. A guard rail for bedsteads comprising a body portion having means secured to the 7 lower longitudinal edge thereof for engagement with the adjacent side-rail of the bedstead, and clamping members detachably secured to the opposite ends of the body por-' tion and adjustable longitudinally and laterally of said body portion for engagement with the corner posts of the bedstead.

3. A guard rail for bedsteads comprising a body portion, brackets secured to the lower longitudinal edge of the body portion for engagement with the side rails of the bedstead, jaw carriers detachably secured to the upper edge of the body portion at the opposite ends thereof and ad ustable longitudinally of said body portion, and co-acting laterally adjustable clamping jaws having their inner ends over-lapped and slidablymounted on the carriers and the (inter ends arranged to engage and clamp the corner posts of the bedstead.

l. A guard rail for bedsteads comprising a body portion, a longitudinally adjustable jaw-carrier slidably mounted on the body portion, and co-acting clamping jaws slidably mounted on the carrier and adjustable laterally for engagement with the adjacent corner post of the bedstead.

5. A guard rail for bedsteads including a body portion having means for engagement with. the side rail of the bedstead, jawcarriers arranged on the'opposite ends of the body portion and adjustable longitudinally thereof, and laterally adjustable clamping jaws slidably mounted on the can riers for engagement withthe adjacent corner posts of said bedstead.

6. A guard rail for bedsteads including a body portion, means carried by the body portion for engagement with the side rails of the bedstead, a j aw-carrier adjustable longitudinally of the body portion and provided with a terminal head having a flange extending vertically therefrom, and clamping jaws slid-ably mounted on said head and bearing against the flange for engagement with the adjacent corner post of the bedstead. j

7. A guard rail for bedsteads comprising posed guide flanges, over-lapping clamping jaws slidably mounted on the head of each carrier and bearing against the adj acent guide flange, and flanges formed on the clamping jaws and constituting bearing faces for engagement with the adjacent corner posts of the bedstead.

9. A guard rail for bedsteads comprising a body portion, plates secured to the opposite ends of the body portion and provided with ribs, jaw carriers slidably mounted on the plates and having slots formed therein for the reception of the ribs, one end of each carrier being provided with a terminal head having a guide flange extending vertically therefrom, over-lapping slotted clamping jaws slidably mounted on the heads and bearing against the adjacent guide flange, clamping devices carried by the ribs for locking the carrier in adjusted position, and

a clamping device carried by the head of g each carrier and extending through the slots 1 in the over-lapping jaws for locking said jaws in adjusted position.

10. A guide rail for bedsteads comprising a body portion, a carrier mounted for longitudinal movement on the body portion and provided with a terminal head having a flange extending vertically therefrom, overlapping clamping jaws slidably mounted on the head at right angles to the carrier and arranged to bear against the flange on said carrier head, said clamping jaws being provided with vertically disposed flanges forming stop shoulders arranged to bear against the adjacent longitudinal. edges of said clamping jaws.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

lVILLIAM B. MUNN. Witnesses T. P. HOSMER, JEROME LEVA. 

